Pritchardias in central Florida?

[Jimbean]

Has anyone grown these in Central Florida?

[Zeeth]

I've got a bunch, but most are seedlings. I've got a P. remota and P. munroi that are a few years old and seem to grow pretty well. P. hillebrandii is a really good one for Florida also.

[Jimbean]

My understanding is that they are not well adapted to the cold. Do you have any idea on their cold hardiness?

[Zeeth]

My understanding is that they are not well adapted to the cold. Do you have any idea on their cold hardiness?

My P. remota made it through 2010 with no damage. I think the Hawaiian species tend to be more cold hardy, but the lower elevation species tend to do better in our heat.

Overall for the species I've grown from seed, here's how I would rate their performance in our climate. The remota was the only species that I was growing at the time of that winter, but I've expanded my collection quite a bit since then. None of the other ones have seen below a 10a winter though, so I might have to update this list in a few years once they've seen some colder temps. Here's what I've seen so far though:

remota>sp.>schattaueri>hillebrandii≥beccariana>arecina.

The sp. is one that I lost the label to, but it could only be either munroi or arecina. I'm pretty sure that it's munroi, but I'll have to wait until it's older to say for sure.

About 75% of my arecina died from spear pull once the temps started rising above 90 F, and the ones that didn't die languished until I put them in 50% shade. In the shade they did okay though. I lost a bunch of schattaueri seedlings to rot before they grew their first leaf, but I'm pretty sure it's because of the seed source (RPS). I got some more about a week after I lost my last one from RPS through a Hawaiian Palmtalker from trees at the Koko crater botanical garden, and I've had nearly 100% germination with those, with none drying from rot, so make sure that you have a good source if you plan to sprout them from seed. All the seeds that I've ever gotten from palmtalkers have done very well.

[Jimbean]

Thanks!

[Eric in Orlando]

If you are in the warmer areas of central FL; super warm parts of 9b or 10a where Royals grow then they should grow well barring a 1989-type freeze. But only the Hawaiian species are half hardy. The non-Hawaiian species are as tender as a coconut or more so.

[Central Floridave]

2 out of my 3 P.hilledbrantii (dwarf "blue") survived 2010 freeze. They are pretty palms. Grow slow. I have them under Oak canopy and very protected spots.

I had a few P.thurstonii live for a few years before croaking from cold.

Sorry if I misspelled the names.

[Mike Evans]

You can have good luck with P. hilledbrantii in central FL. I have 4 in the garden that went through the brutal 2010 freeze. All are under canopy and never had any damage. I had a 6' P. pacifica in the ground and it looked like wet cardboard after the first freeze. Also had luck with P. affinis and P. remota in the nursery. Here are some pics of the P.hilledbrantii.

[Jimbean]

So the two species from the south Pacific are too cold sensitive to grow without protection but some species from Hawaii have a good chance. It's good to know.

[Zeeth]

So the two species from the south Pacific are too cold sensitive to grow without protection but some species from Hawaii have a good chance. It's good to know.

Don't forget the other South Pacific species that we can't grow: P. mitiaroana!

I'd try P. hillebrandii if I were you. It seems to be the most bullet proof Pritchardia besides P. remota, which looks a lot like Washingtonia.

[Zeeth]

Here's one of my Pritchardias. This is from a seed batch I sprouted in 2010. I lost the ID a while back, but I narrowed it down to P. maideniana (formerly affinis) or P. munroi based on the seeds that I sprouted, but I am very strongly leaning to P. munroi. It's done extremely well for me since I sprouted it, with zero of the issues that I've experienced with some of the other Hawaiian Pritchardias. It's planted in a very sunny area (full sun for 6 hours per day) and doesn't seem to mind at all. 

 

[Zeeth]

On November 7, 2015 at 18:35:13, Zeeth said:

Here's one of my Pritchardias. This is from a seed batch I sprouted in 2010. I lost the ID a while back, but I narrowed it down to P. maideniana (formerly affinis) or P. munroi based on the seeds that I sprouted, but I am very strongly leaning to P. munroi. It's done extremely well for me since I sprouted it, with zero of the issues that I've experienced with some of the other Hawaiian Pritchardias. It's planted in a very sunny area (full sun for 6 hours per day) and doesn't seem to mind at all. 

 

Update on my P. munroi. This palm is a good grow in Central Fl. 

[Mandrew968]

Good call on mitiaroana. I am groing it well, but i dont have to worry about the cold...

[sur4z]

...here is my P. pacifica after the 2010 freeze...it was a goner

[Zeeth]

Here's one of my better performing P. beccariana from a batch I started last year. It seems to be growing well so far, which is good news. Hopefully I can keep it alive to maturity.

[realarch]

Looking good guys, the P. hillebrandii and P. munroi are attractive. I've never seen P. mitiaroana.

Tim

[Matthew92]

Just spent a long time looking at almost every Pritchardia species on palmpedia. I see how, at least IMO, pacifica and thurstonii are some of the most magnificent. Only maybe a couple of the Hawaiian ones stood out to me: many of them looked much the same or weren't spectacularly ornamental. Still, I love all palms and any of them are great. Thurstonii is probably my favorite. Unfortunately, I see how it is both very susceptible to LY and very cold sensitive. 

[Eric in Orlando]

20 hours ago, sur4z said:

...here is my P. pacifica after the 2010 freeze...it was a goner

 

 

 

Yikes, that is crazy how sensitive those are. But there was a P. pacfica that survived the 2009-10 winter in Jupiter.

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is the P. pacifica in Jupiter. This photo was taken a couple years ago. I wonder why Pritchardia is planted more around Jupiter, South Pacific or Hawaiian species. 

Unfortuneately this specimen isn't there any longer. The property was sold and most of the rare palms removed.

 

 

[Zeeth]

There are also some old Pritchardias that survived 2010 in Vero Beach. I think they're P. thurstonii.

goo.gl/UnHZnf

 

 

[Zeeth]

On 9/6/2016, 1:30:09, Zeeth said:

Here's one of my better performing P. beccariana from a batch I started last year. It seems to be growing well so far, which is good news. Hopefully I can keep it alive to maturity.

1 year of growth. This species can do well in Central Florida under the right circumstances if you start with enough seedlings and look for the strongest one(s).

[IHB1979]

I've had this Pritchardia in the ground since 2012-13, pretty sure it's pacifica. I also realize it's a not if, but when it will die. You can see a D. pembana down near it's base. I had gotten seeds of both pacifica and pembana at the same time. The pembana germinated and I planted it in this location. A pacifica seed must have gotten into the pembana pot because the pacifica germinated. Realizing that it was a matter of time that it would die, I have left it.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2017 by IHB1979

[Eric in Orlando]

I have a P. beccariana and a P. hillebrandii planted at my house in Altamonte Springs. Both are growing well but P. hillebrandii is a more vigorous grower.

[Zeeth]

4 hours ago, IHB1979 said:

I've had this Pritchardia in the ground since 2012-13, pretty sure it's pacifica. I also realize it's a not if, but when it will die. You can see a D. pembana down near it's base. I had gotten seeds of both pacifica and pembana at the same time. The pembana germinated and I planted it in this location. A pacifica seed must have gotten into the pembana pot because the pacifica germinated. Realizing that it was a matter of time that it would die, I have left it.

Any damage the first few winters? The one at Kopsick has been alive for a while now but it gets damaged every year. They grow so fast that it ends up looking pretty good again relatively quickly though.

[IHB1979]

18 hours ago, Zeeth said:

Any damage the first few winters? The one at Kopsick has been alive for a while now but it gets damaged every year. They grow so fast that it ends up looking pretty good again relatively quickly though.

It's done very well. I've been lucky and have not had frost since 2010. It does show some minor damage, similar to what the coconuts show after winter.

There is a sprinkler behind it which could promote rot for such a tropical palm but it doesn't seem to mind...yet.

[Missi]

I had to get my hands on a couple P. pacifica seedlings simply because last year I fell in love with the specimen off the Mulch Path at Fairchild (photos below). It is not yet trunking and I LOVE the look of this species pre-trunk  I know they probably (okay, certainly ) don't stand a chance of making it through my inland Naples winters unprotected (but I will), but I like to experiment and I just want to grow them for as long as I can keep them alive and well.

 

[Fusca]

That one is a beauty!  In my travels I have seen a couple of similar sized P. pacifica that were doing quite well in large containers, so that could be an option as well.

[Missi]

16 minutes ago, Fusca said:

That one is a beauty!  In my travels I have seen a couple of similar sized P. pacifica that were doing quite well in large containers, so that could be an option as well.

I will do what I must!! 

[Kekoanui]

To the best of my knowledge the palm on the right is Prichardia pacifica (very short petioles).  The taller Prichardia was sold to me as Prichardia "brown nut".  Both survived 2010 in Melbourne, FL.  Any help with proper identification would be great.

Edited November 24, 2017 by Kekoanui

[NatureGirl]

I doubt it's Pacifica. I'm way further S in Satellite Beach and Pacifica spots very badly even in a 'warm' winter. I got rid of all mine bcuz of that. No chance up there. P. pacifica is probably the most cold tender of them all, but I may be wrong.

[Kekoanui]

Nature girl, any interesting palms for sale?  I am just here visiting my parents for Thanksgiving?

[NatureGirl]

Sorry, I didn't notice those were growing in Melbourne, I just saw you were from St. Augustine. But still, I'm across from Melbourne on barrier Island and they were the most tender.

Palms for sale that are hardy in St Augustine? or for Melbourne? I'll send you a PM with a list in a few minutes if you want to come by.